


That's What Friends Are For

by confusednerdling



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, I just want Wynonna and Nicole to be friends, Wynhaught Bonding, wayhaught being cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 09:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/confusednerdling/pseuds/confusednerdling
Summary: “Can you two just get along?!” Waverly shouts in the middle of another heated debate between Nicole and Wynonna and the two are taken aback, because sure they had been in the middle of a particularly nasty screaming match, but there had been worse fights. Like the time Wynonna thought she was better shot than Nicole and the two argued for so long that Waverly set up a bunch of bottle outside the homestead for them to finally see once and for all.(They tied. A fact that Wynonna still won’t accept. Which irritates Nicole to end.)Today, they’re arguing about whether or not Nicole is a lightweight. The funny thing is that Nicoleknowsshe’s a lightweight, but the second that Wynonna mentioned it, she’s in the middle of an argument. And she can’t even stop it. One moment, she’s playing scrabble and the next she’s scoffing as Wynonna points and shouts, “You can’t hold your booze, Haught! Peppermint shots ring a bell? Kids drink that shit on Christmas for fun in Purgatory!”“Kids should not be drinking booze!”And then the argument just escalated from there.OR: Waverly forces Wynonna to take Nicole out on the town to finally allow them to bond.





	That's What Friends Are For

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: “Wynonna is having a fun day teaching Nicole how to ride a motorcycle. Nicole is desperately clinging to the back, having an internal monologue somewhat resembling "oh **** why did I agree to this I would so arrest anyone going this fast this is crazy I'm gonna die and my ghost is gonna snitch on her to Waverly" And then things get awkward when a certain Purgatory Sheriff sees the speeding motorcycle” + Wyn drags Nicole to a bar for a "rev stake out" and ofc both got drunk. Waverly who was busy with research finds out and interrupts the 2 and walks out bc she's mad so drunk Wyn gives drunk Nicole tips how to tame and woo the mad lil sis and of course Waves just cant resist her adorable drunk girlfriend. It's always Wynnona who interrupts wayhaught,so how about Waverly interrupting Wynhaught lol + “Can you wrote something where Nicole breaks a bone somehow? (Extra points if the somehow includes wynonna *cough*)”

“Can you two just get along?!” Waverly shouts in the middle of another heated debate between Nicole and Wynonna and the two are taken aback, because sure they had been in the middle of a particularly nasty screaming match, but there had been worse fights. Like the time Wynonna thought she was better shot than Nicole and the two argued for so long that Waverly set up a bunch of bottle outside the homestead for them to finally see once and for all. 

(They tied. A fact that Wynonna still won’t accept. Which irritates Nicole to end.)

Today, they’re arguing about whether or not Nicole is a lightweight. The funny thing is that Nicole _knows_ she’s a lightweight, but the second that Wynonna mentioned it, she’s in the middle of an argument. And she can’t even stop it. One moment, she’s playing scrabble and the next she’s scoffing as Wynonna points and shouts, “You can’t hold your booze, Haught! Peppermint shots ring a bell? Kids drink that shit on Christmas for fun in Purgatory!”

“Kids should not be drinking booze!” 

And then the argument just escalated from there, but still, it was a pretty tame fight from their former squabbles, but still Waverly had shouted. Waverly had slammed her hands against the table and was staring at the two like they were petulant children.

(If anyone here was being a petulant child, it was Wynonna. Not Nicole. Definitely not.)

“Can you two just get along?” Waverly had shouted, and suddenly all the arguments, all the fight, just kind of left their bodies in unison leaving both Nicole and Wynonna shellshocked. Waverly is known for her temper, for her outbursts, and usually Nicole finds great humor in watching Wynonna sputter for a moment when she’s at the other end of it, but right now, Waverly is glaring at both of them and Nicole is the one sputtering. She doesn’t know what to say. So what she says is - 

“Uh - We are. We are. We’re getting along,” Nicole stammers, and Wynonna just nods her head dumbly.

But Waverly isn’t buying their bullshit, because she groans loudly and sinks into her seat. “No! You’re not! You two keep arguing all the time!”

“It’s how we hang,” Wynonna says and she nudges Nicole hard. “Right, Haught?”

“Oh, yeah. Totally,” Nicole says, rubbing her arm. She wishes they weren’t trying to convince Waverly that they were best buds right now, because she would very much appreciate to hit Wynonna back. But that would just hurt their case right now. 

“You know what - prove it,” Waverly says. And she nods. “Prove it,”

“Uh, prove what, baby?” Nicole asks. 

“Prove you get along,”

“And how the fuck am I supposed to do that?” Wynonna grunts, crossing her arms. 

“By hanging out with each other!” Waverly exclaims. She jumps out of her seat, excited with her own idea as it comes to her in burst. “Yeah! For a full day! Just the two of you!”

“Waverly, I don’t think this is the best - “

“Um, I think the fuck not, babygirl,”

“Guys!” Waverly cuts in before the two can finish their interjections and she starts pacing with her adorable little pout. God, that pout has made Nicole get up at three in the morning to get sweet and sour soup from the shop in town and made Nicole drink tea and always got Waverly her way. “You two are the most important people in my life. Wynonna, you’re my sister. Nicole, you’re my girlfriend. You two make up my family. And I don’t think I want to live in a world where my family can’t coexist,”

“We coexist,” Nicole insists. “Right?” She looks to her left for support and Wynonna nods, raising her drink up in solidarity. 

“We fucking rock at coexisting,”

“Thanks for your input,” Nicole rolls her eyes, but apparently that’s the wrong thing to mutter under her breath in this moment because Wynonna smacks her arm hard. And Nicole opens her mouth to shout, but she feels Waverly grab her shoulder before any words can come out. 

“Coexisting _peacefully_ without the constant bickering!” Waverly snaps. “God, this needs to stop,”

“We’re really not that bad,” Nicole says even though she doesn’t even believe that, but Wynonna agrees with her. 

“Yeah, I think we’re great. Fucking fantastic. I don’t want to spend a day doing trust falls and making friendship bracelets with Officer Haughtshit,”

“You don’t have to do that,” Waverly says. She ruminates a moment thinking it through. “Hm,” But nothing comes to her. “You can do something you like. You like, um, booze, guns, motor - Oh! Nicole’s always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle!” 

“You have?” Wynonna raises a brow.

“Yeah. What? I think it’s cool,”

“Of course, it’s cool,”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Cause I didn’t expect Miss Stick-Up-Her-Ass to enjoy something actually cool,” Wynonna snorts. 

“Hey, I don’t - “

“Guys!” Waverly interjects. “Easy. Okay. So tomorrow, Nicole will pick up - “

“We all practically live together,” Wynonna reminds everyone. She stands up. “I don’t have to - “

“No! Okay? No, you don’t _have_ to do this, but Wynonna, if you care about me, you’ll put the effort in!” 

“Alright! Jesus! Fine!” Wynonna pushes the chair in. “Be up at one,” she says to Nicole. 

“I’m a functioning adult so I’m usually up a little before that - “

But Wynonna is already walking out. 

\---

Nicole lays in bed staring up at the ceiling. This is going to be a disaster. She and Wynonna had plenty of nice times together. But usually when they were the most amicable was when either booze or Waverly was involved. Without either of those two components, Wynonna infuriated Nicole. Her carefree attitude. Her natural swagger. Her infatuation for booze in the morning. She was a good egg and Nicole would fight for Wynonna always, but put the two in the room together for a long extended time and Nicole might just strangle the older Earp. There’s only so many times you can be called “Office Stick-Up-The-Ass” and “Miss Pleat-in-her-Pants” and “Queen Brisk of Bossy Town” before you snap. 

Waverly is sleeping. Waverly is sleeping and she looks so beautiful with her long brown hair sprayed everywhere. Nicole takes a deep breath.

It’s been a while since she’s been with a family. She’s been alone for so long. Even when she was living in her house with her parents, she was alone. But now… Her eyes drift to Waverly’s sleeping form. 

She would do anything for this woman. She would shoot anyone. She would even hang out with Wynonna Earp sober. 

She tries to close her eyes. Tries to sleep. But it’s a little difficult. 

God, she wished she could just shoot someone for Waves instead of going on this Earp-y adventure.

\---

Nicole goes through her routine. She gets up. She goes for a run. She does a few pull-ups, some crunches, some push-ups. She takes a shower, brushes, and straightens her red hair. She dresses. And heads to the kitchen to start making breakfast before either of the Earps wake up.

Waverly wakes up next. She comes down the stairs, yawning in a big, fluffy robe that looks absolutely suffocating but apparently isn’t warm enough for Waves. She sits down at the table and waits until Nicole pushes a cup of tea in front of her before she even starts to open her eyes. 

Nicole starts with breakfast, and she’s certainly not the best cook but she’s finally mastered waffles and pancakes so she drops a plate of slightly-burnt-but-it’s-the-thought-that-counts pancakes at the table and she inhales a few while Waverly recounts a dream she had enthusiastically. 

And then, Wynonna goes through her routine. She gets up. She doesn’t even need to worry about getting dressed because she passed out last night in clothes so she just puts on a new leather jacket that isn’t coated in demon guts and blood and teeters down the stairs. She grunts good mornings and pats herself on the back for waking up for a reasonable time while making her coffees a little irish when the good officer isn’t looking. 

And Nicole, who definitely notices that the whiskey bottle is now within arms distance to Wynonna, who notices that Wynonna is sipping her coffee with an eagerness that’s fully reserved for just booze, just pretends she doesn’t notice. There isn’t much she can do anymore anyways. 

“So, you want to head out so you can, uh, teach me the ropes?” Nicole clears her throat, but Wynonna just glares at her. 

“What are you doing, Haught?”

“I’m just wondering - “

“Do you see this?” Wynonna points to her cup. “This is my first cup of coffee. And do you see what’s in it? Hm? Any guesses?”

“Wynonna, I - “

“Coffee. Which means I haven’t even fucking finished my coffee and you’re what? What are you doing, Haught?”

Nicole really wished she could punch Wynonna. 

“Hm? You were _talking_. That was the right answer. You’ll get it next time, kid,”

“Wynonna,” Waverly scolds her sister. “She was just - “

“God, what is it with this family and the talking before the drinking? We drink. We caffinetate. We booze up. And then we talk. Drink first. Talk later,” Wynonna says into her coffee cup. She drowns out the rest of her rambling with a large sip which Nicole is grateful for, because, like Wynonna, she doesn’t have much a tolerance for conversation in the morning either. Well, conversation with Wynonna to be exact. 

\---

Grumpy, Woke-Up-Early Wynonna is the worst kind of Wynonna Earp, but that’s the one that Nicole gets after Wynonna finishes two coffees and three pancakes and makes her way to the door. “You coming, Haught?”

“Oh, so now we’re talking?”

“Shut the fuck up,” 

Great start. Great start. Nicole thinks. 

\---

They walk out to the barn where Wynonna’s most prized possession is kept. Her bike. And Wynonna lets out a sigh of relief as she runs her fingers along the handlebars. 

“So, I’m going to ride - “

“No. No. You aren’t riding my baby. Okay? I tolerate you and my baby sister, but if you touch this bike, Peacemaker will handle you,”

“You know the magic gun card is only going to work for so long,” Nicole frowns. 

But Wynonna pulls out Peacemaker and any snappy comeback Nicole was going to say dies in her throat. 

“Thought so,” Wynonna grins. “Alright. Come on,”

“What?”

Wynonna sits on the bike, gripping the handlebars, and shimmies forward. “Jump on,”

“You mean behind you?”

“Yes,”

“Okay. Uh,” Nicole sits behind Wynonna and it’s weird being this close to the Earp heir, but here she is and she can’t really escape this situation.

“Okay. Now, hold on,”

“Hold on?”

“Haught! Jesus fuck! We don’t have time for your bashful lesbian act!”

“Yeah. Yeah. Got it. Got it. Holding on. I’m going to - “ Nicole took a shaky breath and snaked her hands around Wynonna, holding onto her stomach. Which was surprisingly firm and without think Nicole mumbles, “Are those… _abs_?”

“Damn it, Haught. Stop feeling me up!”

“I’m not! I’m not! I’m holding on! I’m holding!” 

And Wynonna laughs, because even though she can’t see Nicole, she knows Nicole’s face is as red as her hair. And Nicole, again, wishes she could punch Wynonna. 

“I’m just messing with you, Haught,”

“Oh, okay. I thought - “

And whatever she was going to say dies immediately in her throat, because the bike takes off, roaring to life, and the two are speeding off.

\---

In the beginning holding onto Wynonna was a bit uncomfortable, but the second the bike started Nicole hugged Wynonna tight from behind, no longer caring about being comfortable. And once they hit the main road, cutting through town, Nicole couldn’t help but gasp as her red hair flew in the air, her ears filled with air, and her mouth felt all weird and cotton-y, and her heart was beating a mile an hour, but the adrenaline? Now, that was cool. 

“How fast does this thing go?” Nicole makes the mistake of shouting out, because suddenly they’re going fast. And then, faster. And Nicole is screaming in the back, completely red, and digging her nails into Wynonna’s abs, and they’re whizzing through town at a speed that Nicole knows is illegal and when they escape the confines of town, Wynonna goes even _faster_

And Nicole is going to die. She’s going to die. They’re going so fast. It’s like the wind’s screaming her ears. Oh fuck. She should not have done this. That pout. That pout always get her in trouble. Waverly’s silly, adorable pout. Now, Nicole’s going to die. 

And then, Nicole manages to hear sirens which feels, at first, like it might just be her brain manifesting a sort of safety net, but then Wynonna is slowing down, slowing down, slowing down, and then she pulling over. And Nicole’s pretty sure Wynonna said something along the lines of “fucking Nedley” or “ducking welley”, Nicole isn’t really sure. 

Oh God. Nicole is going to die. She’s going to die, because if Wynonna gets her license revoked for reckless driving and has to pay a bigass fine and Nicole could have _prevented_ said recklessness, Waverly will have Nicole’s head.

Oh God.

Nedley walks up - dark stetson on his head and his brown moustache and when he sees Nicole, he freezes in his tracks.

“Officer Haught?”

“Hello, Sheriff,” Nicole says with an awkward laugh.

Oh God. Nicole is going to die, because if Nicole gets fired from the best job she’s ever had because she let Wynonna speed, she’s going to die. She’s going to die. 

“So sorry, sir, about the - “ Nicole just motions vaguely to Wynonna. “We were just - “

“Demons,” Wynonna says randomly. 

“Yes!” Nicole nods dumbly. “Yes. Yes, sir. Demons. We’re on official BBD business,”

“You’re not in uniform, Officer,” Nedley says. 

“Uh, right. Well, see - “

“No time. There was no time. Demons gonna fuck around whether or not the sheriff’s deputy on the clock,” Wynonna adds. 

“Right…” But Nedley doesn’t believe a word that’s coming out of their mouths. Nedley may not be the most expressive guy, but Nicole can read him like a book. “Right. Well, you were going pretty fast there, Earp,”

“Because of the demons. Demons require speeding,” Wynonna says with great determination.

“Uh-huh. Well, don’t let it happen again. Just because there’s demons around, doesn’t mean the laws of this town are down the crapper. Alright?”

“Of course, sir. Of course. Totally understandable,” Nicole nods vigorously. 

“Well, have a good day. And...good luck...with the demons,” he supplies after a beat and then with a nod, the tilt of his stetson, he heads back to the car. 

“Thank you, sir!” Nicole shouts out, but Nedley just keeps walking to the car. 

Wynonna scoffs loudly. 

“What?” Nicole snaps.

“You’re such a kiss-ass,”

“I am not!”

“You so are!”

\---

They head to Shorty’s. There’s really nothing else for them, and Wynonna and Nicole have always functioned better with alcohol flowing through them. Alcohol made Wynonna less annoying and alcohol probably made Nicole more fun, allowing the two to find common ground. 

Of course, Nicole’s a firm believe of “going big or going home” and after getting in trouble with her boss and the anxiousness of being a motorcycle with Wynonna, when Earp orders a round of shots, Nicole doesn’t even object and downs them. 

“Why are we here, Earp?” Nicole says after she cringes as the alcohol hits the back of her throat. The burn is horrible. “God, we should just call this what it was - a shitshow - and go home to - “

“No. Okay? No. I’m not giving up. Sure, the po-po got a little pissed, but we’re going to bond,”

“All we had is the motorcycle,” 

“No! Not true. We have _that_ ,” Wynonna points to the big, burly man in the fur coat. A little Bobo look-alike. 

“That a - “

“A certified rev-head with connections to a new Revenant gang? You bet your topshelf ass it is, Haught,”

Nicole can’t help but smile at the compliment but narrows her head as she takes the guy in. He’s big. Probably big enough where he could overpower Wynonna. They could not let the fight get to a hand-to-hand.

“Easy there, tiger,” Wynonna says. “Let’s just enjoy the drinks,” She motions to the shots before them. “And keep an eye on the big guy,”

“Did you know he was going to be here?”

“Most Rev-heads aren’t the fucking brightest bulbs. They always return. We just happened to be lucky that he didn’t notice when we walked in. Bastard is probably get sloshed,”

“We should wait then,” Nicole says. She looks to Wynonna. “That guys huge, Earp. We let him get drunk and then we take the guy out,”

“Sounds good with me,” Wynonna leans back in her seat and places the shot glass against her lips, downing three in the amount of time it would take Nicole to just take one. Wynonna’s tolerance to alcohol was as impressive as it was terrifying. 

“So, another thing we have in common is cop stuff, huh?” Nicole says. She leans against the table. “Why didn’t you want to go home? You weren’t into this idea any more than I was,”

“Because, believe it or not, asshole, I love Waverly. And I would do anything for her. Even if it means hanging out with you,”

“I guess that’s another thing, huh. We both love Waverly,”

And Wynonna stills. She turns to look at Nicole. “You love her?”

“Yeah,”

“Like l-o-v-e her?”

“Like, one day, I think I’m gonna marry her, Earp,”

“Shit,” Wynonna says. And she takes a shot. 

“Yeah. Shit,” Nicole says. She takes one too.

The two sit in silence, but it isn’t awkward like before. It’s comfortable. Nice. Both of them are staring at the Revenant. 

“I think I have to get used to that,” Wynonna finally says, running her fingers along the rim of her glass. Nicole is taken a back and turns to the older woman.

“To what?” Nicole asks. 

“To someone caring about Waverly as much as I do,” Wynonna turns to her and smiles slightly. “I guess there are worse problems to have,”

“Yeah, like for a moment there, you almost had Champ as your brother-in-law,”

“Oh fuck,” Wynonna barks out with a laugh. “Jesus. You’re right. Oh man,”

“Hey look! We have another thing in common - our mutual hatred of Champ!”

Wynonna smiles. “Nothing like some mutual hatred to really bring us together, huh?”

“That and alcohol,” Nicole says, pushing a shot to Wynonna who downs it easily. 

“I’ll drink to that,” 

Again, they lapse into silence. Nicole shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “Wynonna,” she says and she hates how her voice sounds so unsure. Wynonna hears it too, because she quirks a brow in response. “Uh, I just want you to know that I’m not… I wasn’t joking around,”

“I wasn’t either. I hate Champ,”

“No. I mean - Well, I hate him too, but I meant about marrying Waverly...one day. I just… I never had a family before. I had parents. And they loved me. In the way parents have to love their kids, but then I was out and suddenly they were relieved, you know? Because the obligation to love me, the obligation to be there for me, was gone and they could finally just get rid of me,”

“Your parents are shit,” Wynonna says.

“Yeah,” Her mouth feels weird. Like she’s going eighty down the road on a motorcycle and the wind is whipping her around. She swallows thickly. “They are,”

“Well, I didn’t have a happy-go-lucky childhood either,”

“I’ve heard,”

“Guess it’s another thing we have in common, huh?”

“Yeah. Guess so,” 

Wynonna takes a deep breath and closes her eyes for a moment like she’s debating whether or not to speak, but in the end she decides to as she says with a loud sigh, “Haught,”

“Earp,”

“Before when Waverly wanted us to get along and I was… I teasing, you know? Saying that shit. I like you. I mean, I think you’re alright. For a cop,”

“And I think you’re alright too, Earp. For a drunk,”

Wynonna smirks, but she continues, “I said that shit about you being uncool and stick-in-the-mud - “

“Ass was actually the used term,”

“But I was just fucking around. Because end of the days, it’s those damn qualities that allow me to trust you with big shit. Like Waverly’s heart and...and Alice’s wellbeing,” 

Nicole suddenly feels bad for interrupting Wynonna’s attempt to apologize. She waits a moment, making sure Wynonna is done, and based on the fact that the Earp isn’t even meeting her eyes, she places a hand on Wynonna’s. “Thank you,” she says. “I know that… I know that means a lot,”

“Yeah. It does,” Wynonna says. She waits a moment before she takes the last shot and drinks it. “Alright. Enough of this sappy bullshit. Okay? No more,”

“I was actually enjoying the bonding - “

“Nope! Nope! It’s over. Moment’s over. Time to kick some demon ass,” Wynonna stands up, kicking her chair back. “Hey, Turner!” The demon stills and spins around at the sound of his name.

“Recognize me? I’ll give you a hint - Rhymes with Smearp. And I brought a friend,”

Nicole hesitates with a smile, “We’re friends?”

“Not the time, Haught,” Wynonna says. “So, Turner, what will it be - fight or - “ But the man charges toward the exit, slamming his body mass against some poor Purgatory citizens on the way out. “Shit. Flight it is. Come on, Haught,” And suddenly, Wynonna is taking off too, running with her dark hair flying, and Nicole is running after her too, because _damn it_. Nicole wasn’t about a demon hunt to go down while she stayed behind. Nope. Not on her watch. 

\---

It happened really fast in Nicole’s defense. One moment the demon was charging at Wynonna. The next, Nicole was pushing Wynonna aside and the demon slammed against her and fell atop her and Nicole fell under his weight and then there was an unmistake _crack_. And then, after that, well, there was pain. A lot of pain. And then, Wynonna was pushing the demon off of Nicole and there was hellfire. And then, Wynonna was standing above Nicole. 

“Jesus. Thanks for taking that tackle for - HOLY SHIT!” Wynonna gasps. “YOUR ARM!”

Ah, that explained the pain. 

\---

They hear Waverly before they see her. 

“I said to bond with my girlfriend, _not break her arm!_ ” 

“Technically, I didn’t break her arm. The dumbass Rev-head did!” Wynonna inists. “Besides, we did bond. We bonded a lot. We got drinks and there was a lotta sappy talk from the walking bumper sticker,” Wynonna looks over her shoulder at Nicole. And Nicole looks at Wynonna from the bed. 

It might be drugs and alcohol and the mess of it all in her system but she thinks Wynonna is smiling at her and looks genuinely _fond_ of her. Was that crazy? Nicole wasn’t sure. 

“Okay. Well, I’m glad you guys...got along without killing each other,” Waverly says after a beat. 

“Damn. The bar was that low?” Nicole slurs from her bed, and at the sound of her voice, Waverly rushes over. She runs her fingers through red hair and she caresses Nicole’s face. 

“My poor, brave, baby. How are you doing?”

“It’s fine. The drugs are nice,” Nicole says. She isn’t lying either. There’s a warm buzz in her chest. And she doesn’t feel anything.

“Well, I heard everything you know!” Waverly says, crossing her arms. “Nedley’s in the hall,”

“Shit,” Wynonna mutters under her breath. 

“You two were speeding around Purgatory and then you - What are you doing? What is she doing?” Waverly is taken aback and is looking all over, because Nicole is pouting. Nicole. Is. Pouting. Stealing Waverly Earp’s signature move, and Wynonna can’t help but laugh because Nicole is doing perfectly just like Wynonna taught her. And her older sister’s laughter must be infectious, because Waverly’s angry facade melts and she shakes her head. 

“You’re ridiculous, you know,”

“Yeah, but you love me anyway,”

“You bet I do,” Waverly leans forward and presses a kiss. “No more reckless driving and breaking of bones and getting into shenanigans with my sister, okay?”

“But that’s how we bond,” Nicole says with the signature pout and Waverly throws her head back and groans.

“Wynonna,” she complains. “Why would you teach her the pout?”

“It’s time you had a taste of your own medicine, baby girl,” Wynonna grins.

\---

The day sort of blurs together, Nicole thinks. She’s all set with her arm in a cast, pins in her bones, and a new prescription that Waverly is clinging to. And the world is kind of foggy from her sleep-addled brain and the drugs and the crash of a day full of adrenaline. 

She sleeps in the car and Wynonna helps her get to the house, letting Nicole rest her weight on her as they walk to the homestead. 

“Wynonna,” Nicole says. And her mouth feels a little weird. And the world is still weird. But she looks at Wynonna clearly. “Thank you for being my friend,”

“So, we’re friends now?” Wynonna smiles. 

“We’ve always been friends,”

And Wynonna looks a little confused at that, but once it settles with her, she smiles softly. “You’re a walking bumper sticker, Haught,” She looks ahead where Waverly is standing, grinning at the two, and holding the door for them as they slowly trudge ahead. “I know we bonded and shit and are making an effort to be nicer or whatever, but I’m just gonna say it - I’m still a better shot than you,”

“Fuck that! We tied!”

“No, we didn’t!”

“Yes, we did!”

“We tied because our judge is biased!”

“How is she biased? You’re her sister! If anything, she’s biased toward you!”

“And you’re sleeping with her or whatever,”

“And by whatever, you mean that we’re in a functioning, healthy, adult relationship?”

“God, you’re such a - “

“What?”

And Waverly can’t help but snicker to herself as the two squabble, entering the house, because she loves these two idiots and, honestly, wouldn’t expect anything less from them. 

\---

“I’m sorry we fought,” Nicole whispers as she lays in bed. Waverly lays in bed beside her. The two stare up at the ceiling, hands intertwined, and Nicole’s broken arm on her stomach. “I know you wanted us to start getting along but - “

“It’s okay. I didn’t expect things to magically get solved, but I think…. I think after today I just realized maybe it’s okay you guys bicker and butt heads, because at the end of the day, we’re family. And that’s just what family does,”

“Okay,”

“I think… I know I had a more normal home life than Wynonna. I lived with Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis and they were my family, but it was never… My family’s always been fractured, pieces missing, and… As a kid, I always thought when I got Wynonna back, when I met the right person, when I settled down, my family would just click. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah,”

“Like in the movies. And in the shows. I just wanted that perfect family,”

“But those don’t really exist,”

“I know that now, but Nicole?”

“Hm?”

“I think our family comes pretty damn close,”

Nicole smiles. “Really?”

“Yes, really. You two are crazy competitive and polar opposites but you also have a lot in common like you both love me. And deep down, you two love each other. Like you protected Wynonna today. If you didn’t love her, you wouldn’t do that,”

“Love Wynonna,” Nicole repeats. It sounds funny, but if she’s being honest, it doesn’t feel foreign on her lips. It feels like a confirmation. “Huh. I guess… I guess I do,”

“But Nicole?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you dare do something so stupid again? Okay? I need you. Preferably in one piece,”

“I’ll try,”

“I love you, Nicole,”

“I love you, Waves,”

They were a family. A family through and through. Unique and quirky and silly, but they were a family. And it might be a shit show, but it was their shit show, it was their family, and none of them could live without it and none of them ever wanted to.

**Author's Note:**

> I got three prompts that I couldn't help but combine once I saw them! I know this was silly at times and heartfelt in others, but I genuinely had a lot of fun with this. And am just really grateful for all the people who follow me and send in prompts, because it's incredibly motivating for people to reach out with idea that they want _you_ to write, because they are genuinely interested in hearing your thoughts on it. I just thought that was really cool and wanted to share. If you have a prompt or a theory, I'm at gayywords on Tumblr. I would love for some more prompts.


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